Austin Peay State University’s new play explores “End Days” following 9/11 tragedy
February 15, 2012
Clarksville, TN – In September 2003, a woman named Sylvia believed the world was going to end on an upcoming Wednesday. Her husband, a survivor of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, suffered a horrible bout of depression and refused to leave the house.
And their daughter, Rachel, saw visions of both Jesus Christ and renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. [Read more]
Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence Winter Salon sets romantic tone for Valentine’s Day
February 13, 2012
Clarksville, TN – This Valentine’s Day, the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts plans to set a romantic mood with its newest Winter Salon Series Event – A Reading of Love Poetry by Dr. David Till.
“Well, it’s Valentine’s Day, so the subject will be love: some old favorites and maybe some poems new and surprising, too, I hope,” Till said. “It was William Carlos Williams who said ‘It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there.’ The whole performance will be a sort of ramble or collage, of if I can manage it, a graceful unfolding.” [Read more]
Austin Peay State University will have Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins visit for a Reading on Marth 16th
February 7, 2012
Clarksville, TN – If one were to rank the country’s top poets (which I would never recommend doing), Billy Collins would likely top most lists. Aside from being both critically acclaimed and commercially popular, he is frequently heard on National Public Radio, and his appointment in 2001 as the Poet Laureate of the United States has afforded him a certain name recognition uncommon for most lyricists.
But attempting to rank poets and poetry in this way is a bit unseemly, so one is forced to judge the man on his work. That’s where Collins stands out, using a light touch to suddenly transform a humorous piece into something serious.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins
Austin Peay State University Music and Dance Faculty collaborate on Stravinsky Concert
February 7, 2012
Clarksville, TN – The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s extraordinary musical/theatrical/dance work “The Soldier’s Tale” premièred at the end of World War I, during a time of moral and economic turmoil. Nearly 100 years later, with the world in a similar state, two Austin Peay State University creative arts departments are resurrecting the complex work for a rare, one night only collaborative performance.
“It’s based on a Russian folk tale about a soldier on leave who unknowingly makes a deal with the devil,” Dr. Gregory Wolynec, APSU associate professor of music, said. “It’s based on the basic moral that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
Vocal Ensemble Amarcord returns to Austin Peay State University for Community Concert
January 30, 2012
Clarksville, TN – One of the premier vocal ensembles in the world, Amarcord, is returning to Clarksville at 7:30pm on February 17th, for a Clarksville Community Concert Association performance at the Austin Peay State University Music/Mass Communication Building’s Concert Hall.
The ensemble, which last appeared locally in 2005, is known for its diverse repertoire of music, from medieval plainsong to madrigals and Renaissance masses to compositions and cycles of works of the European Romantic period and the 20th century, all the way up to rock, pop, soul and jazz hits. [Read more]
Austin Peay State University announces winners of 25th annual Young Composer’s Competition
January 20, 2012
Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts recently announced the winners of its 25th Annual Young Composer’s Competition.
First prize was awarded to Ethan Greene, of Austin, Texas, for his “Dancing as may be Credible” for clarinet, cello and piano. Tonia Ko, of Bloomington, IN, earned second prize for her “Wanderer Moon” for voice and chamber ensemble, and Pierce Gradone, also of Austin, Texas, took home third-prize honors for his “Hearing Voices” for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. [Read more]
Austin Peay State University’s online Art Gallery expands to physical world with New Exhibit
January 13, 2012
Clarksville, TN – Have you ever remembered something that you never actually experienced? Maybe it was the vivid terrain of a place you haven’t visited, or the familiar smile of someone you don’t know.
These strange recollections, arising from the millions of images we are exposed to on the Internet and television, fascinate the California-based artist McLean Fahnestock, and her new exhibit, “Republic of Champions,” examines the public’s collective memory, created by our constant exposure to images in the media.
Republic of Champions by McLean Fahnestock
New online art exhibit at TERMINALapsu.org reinterprets classic American literature
December 8, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The video clips seem to be strung together randomly, with no connection to each other at all. They include a ship tossing in the waves of a storm, a close-up shot of a stuffed animal’s eyes and a music video for the rock band Heart’s 1986 hit “These Dreams.”
But these aren’t simply arbitrary videos compiled from the Internet. The media artist xtine burrough found the clips by typing keywords from Walt Whitman’s 1865 poem commemorating the death of President Abraham Lincoln, “O Captain, My Captain,” into the website YouTube.
New online art exhibit at TERMINALapsu.org
Austin Peay State University fiction writer Kitterman to read from new book on December 7th
December 1, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Barry Kitterman, an Austin Peay State University creative writing professor, had what might be called a typical, Midwestern upbringing. He grew up in the small town of Ivanhoe, populated by farmers and situated hundreds of miles from anything resembling a large city.
But this Midwestern childhood actually occurred not too far from the Pacific Ocean, in northern California, causing a few people to scratch their heads when Kitterman tells them about his past.
Barry Kitterman to read from his latest book December 7th at the Austin Peay Music/Mass Communication Building’s Concert Hall.
Austin Peay Art Graduates exhibit new work at Downtown Gallery
November 17, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Shortly after Clare Coyle Taylor’s husband passed away, she gathered her children together and began creating works of art with them. She’d studied at Austin Peay State University, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in pottery/ceramic sculpture and painting, but in the years after she graduated, she gradually found less time to practice her art.
Then, following her husband’s death, the act of creating took on a new meaning for her.
“I’ve become even more aware of, and awed by, the healing nature of the process,” she said. “There can be a catharsis about the expression and introspection achieved with color, mark making, and material manipulation. Emotions can be released where there are no words.” [Read more]
